Eleventh International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

The global challenge that dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are posing to our generation has made cultural institutions more and more aware of the importance of organising activities tailored to the needs of those affected by these debilitating illnesses, both directly (patients) and indirectly (family and professionals caregivers). The project ‘Work in Progress’, organised by Museo del Tessuto (Textile Museum) and Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea Pecci (Pecci Centre) in Prato gave the possibility to people living in four nursing homes to leave their everyday environment to experience unique activities in the prestigious context of two museums of their city. The study targeted a group that participated in the second cycle of the project, and aimed, through observation and a qualitative research, to collect the opinions and evaluations of professional caregivers, in order to understand their perception of the benefits that the programme might have had on people living in nursing homes. The operators were unanimous in saying that the experience was positive and that they saw an improvement of some kind (in the mood, the manifestation of symptoms, in their interaction) in the guests they had accompanied. The research hopes to serve as a starting point for other institutions, by triggering other similar projects in different areas.